Of all of the operations to which the carcasses of slaughtered animals are subjected, be they pigs, cattle, or sheep, the stage in which the carcass is cut longitudinally is particularly important. The carcass needs to be cut longitudinally into two portions which are accurately equal, so as to obtain two half-carcasses in which the ratio of meat to bone is equivalent.
In the past, attempts have been made to satisfy this accurate cutting requirement by providing guidance systems for guiding the cutting instrument along the backbone of the animal. Thus, application DE-A-2 600 766 describes a cutting apparatus comprising a cleaving carriage guided vertically on a main frame so as to be capable of moving vertically and having two guide elements and a cutting instrument firmly mounted thereon. The guide elements are fixed at the ends of supports, and they comprise an outside guide constituted, for example, by a pair of wheels for resting against the outside face of the animal's back and thus being guided along its backbone; and an inside guide likewise constituted by a pair of wheels resting against the inside face of the animal and against its backbone, facing the wheels of the outside guide. By virtue of this assembly, it is possible to maintain the cutting implement in a substantially central position along the backbone.
This type of cutting apparatus generally provides two substantially equal half-carcasses. However, in operation, it is observed that these apparatuses suffer from major deterioration in the quality and accuracy of the cut as time goes on leading to carcasses being cut up asymmetrically. Continuous and prolonged use of such apparatuses gives rise, because of the assembly clearances of the various parts of the apparatus and the deformation or wear to which the cutting instrument is subjected, to a loss of the vertical symmetry of the original assembly as existed between the cutting instrument and the guide elements. This loss of symmetry causes the carcass to be cut up asymmetrically.
In addition, since these apparatuses are designed solely for performing symmetrical cutting operations, they are incapable of performing other types of cutting as required, in particular, by the controlled asymmetrical cutting that occurs when performing a "bacon" type cut.
An object of the invention is to remedy the drawbacks of the prior art and to solve the problem of controlling the accuracy of cutting up.
Another object of the invention is to provide a cutting up apparatus enabling good cutting accuracy to be retained in spite of the wear and the deformation to which the guide elements and cutting instruments are subjected.
Another object of the invention consists in providing a cutting up apparatus including elements necessary for obtaining cuts of controlled symmetry or asymmetry.
Another object of the invention is to provide a cutting up method enabling the symmetry with which a carcass is cleaved to be controlled and adjusted.